President LeBlanc Announces Details of Culture Assessment

Survey of faculty and staff to launch in mid-October.

George Washington University faculty and staff will receive an electronic survey on Oct. 15 that will provide an opportunity to give anonymous feedback about their experiences at the university.

The survey, which will be administered by an independent, third party, will inform the creation of a data-driven plan to improve the university’s institutional culture.

“While we regularly survey students, we have no comprehensive data about the experience of working at the university,” said GW President Thomas LeBlanc. “The faculty and staff survey we will launch this month will help fill that gap and provide a baseline against which to measure our efforts to improve the university’s culture.”

The survey will be conducted by the Disney Institute, which has extensive experience assisting organizations in assessing their culture. They have developed a proprietary survey instrument that aids organizations in identifying issues that need further examination.

The assessment process will be guided by a culture leadership team, which will be chaired by Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mark Diaz, who is also the executive sponsor of the university strategic initiative on institutional culture. The announcement of leadership team members is forthcoming.

The survey will launch on Oct. 15 and close on Oct. 28, providing faculty and staff with two weeks to submit their feedback. The survey is expected to take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.

The Disney Institute will analyze the results of the survey, and issues identified will be further explored through group and individual interviews with faculty and staff. The Disney Institute will conduct the interviews on behalf of the university to maintain confidentiality of the feedback provided. The interview phase is expected to take place later this fall.

The results of the survey and the findings from interviews will form the basis for an assessment that will be shared with the university community. The assessment will guide the university’s development of a comprehensive action plan.

“The goal is to move from anecdotes to a data-driven assessment that will focus our efforts to create a culture that best serves the needs of our students, faculty and staff and creates an environment where all members of our community feel connected to the university,” said Dr. LeBlanc. “It is an ambitious effort that will only work if all of us participate.”

Updates will continue to be shared on the strategic initiatives website. The university strategic initiatives underway also include efforts focused on the student experience, research, philanthropy and constituent engagement, and the university’s medical enterprise.